On Disney+ he finally arrived RJ Decker, the light crime procedural with Scott Speedman who debuted last March on ABC finding space in a palimpsest where the genre abounds between The Rookie, High Potential and Will Trent. Not real comedies but police characterized by the presence of an unconventional protagonist but who always manages to solve the situation. Unlike the classical procedurals, there is a marked characterization of the characters and the story of their events.
ABC and Disney thought they had bingo by putting together a face loved as Speedman, joining us another protagonist of the network as Jaina Lee Ortiz and inspired by Carl Hiaasen Double Whammy’s 1987 novel. In fact, things went less well than expected, after a good debut the series got a bit excited without becoming an immediate hit as it had happened to the titles mentioned above. Not surprisingly, the renewal came only at the last moment with the network that wanted to give confidence to the project (but perhaps without too much conviction).
But what didn’t really work out in RJ Decker? Let’s start from a firm point: it’s a nice TV series that lets you look at and will like those who watch this kind of series. But perhaps because it comes in the wake of other titles, it looks like a product built at the table, popping up all the boxes of what is useful, of what it serves to make today a hit for ABC. Speedman tries too much to be that dog who is sticky, humble and brilliant, rusty but always charming, who ends up in a thousand cases but eventually manages to save himself. Ortiz appears a forced addition, like the recommended one to find a place in the office. All the construction of Decker’s “squadra” does not convince, no one stands out, no one shines, they do not seem to have the ability to be autonomous compared to the protagonist.
In addition, RJ Decker makes the strategic mistake of starting immediately with a case concerning the protagonist (which is also the engine of everything) but to solve it too quickly when it could be the characterizing element of the whole season (which has only nine bets among other things). And in the second episode there is again a case linked to a person close to the protagonist, which is a bit the problem of policeless police police. Decker is a former private investigator, his only connection to the police is through the new partner of his ex. And this aspect for this kind of series, works less because the public wants to see the protagonist investigate, although lost in his personal problems. When situations are forced, the risk is to be little fluid, compelling and convincing.
R.J. DECKER – “Pilot” (Disney/Dana Hawley)
SCOTT SPEEDMAN
La trama di RJ Decker
The protagonist of the series is R.J. Decker, a former news photographer who fell into disgrace and ended up in prison that, once he returned to freedom, decided to start again from scratch becoming private investigator in South Florida. Among cases ranging between bizarre and unpredictable, Decker finds himself investigating a territory where the border between crime, eccentricity and corruption is often very subtle. To help him in the investigation are his ex-girlfriend, today a journalist, his wife, who works as a police detective, and a mysterious woman emerged from the past, whose help could prove decisive… or bring him back behind bars.
Il cast
Scott Speedman plays R.J. Decker, former news photographer and former prisoner looking for a second chance as a private investigator. At his side, Jaina Lee Ortiz dresses up the roles of Emilia “Emi” Ochoa, journalist and former partner of Decker, while Bevin Bru plays Melody “Mel” Abreau, police detective and wife of Emi, who often ends up collaborating in the investigation. Kevin Rankin completed the lead cast as Aloysius “Wish” Aiken, a trusted friend of R.J., and Adelaide Clemens, who played Catherine Delacroix, an enigmatic woman linked to the protagonist’s past and destined to deeply influence the future.
The RJ Decker article, is Scott Speedman enough for a Disney+ light crime? The review comes from Dituttounpop.it.
